


Unbreakable

by ViableSourceMaterial



Category: Original Work, Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Ashen Romance | Auspistice, Everyone Has Issues, Everyone Needs A Hug, Flushed Romance | Matesprits, John Wilkes Booth's last words, Major Character Injury, Medical Experimentation, Medical Torture, Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery, Missing Persons, Multi, Murder, Original Character Death(s), Pale Polyamory, Pale Romance | Moirallegiance, Past Mind Control, Possible Character Death, Psychological Torture, Quadrant Confusion, Reincarnation, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Suffering, THIS IS A THING, Terrorism, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, This is My Design, Time Skips, this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-09-25 15:32:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 10,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9826643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViableSourceMaterial/pseuds/ViableSourceMaterial
Summary: The Nobles; the four major powers within the confines of Spyral. The DID Conspiracy; a complicated plot involving the disappearance of the Akagis' and the death of 14 DID employees. The Absconditus; a giant hole in time and space that consumed a section of the city, and along with it, the siblings of the witnesses. The one responsible; one teenager, who has been pulled into it all because her sisters gave her a faulty device.Ave, sic semper tyrannis.





	1. DISCLAIMER

DISCLAIMER:

Yu-Gi-Oh! and ARC-V are the property of Kazuki Takahashi and KONAMI, respectively (whoever owns ARC-V, shout out to you I don't own your anime). I own nothing related to the franchise. Some characters feature elements borrowed from ARC-V such as personalities and names, however these characters are unique in their own way and have no intended use of making profit. This fictional original work features borrowed elements such as the use of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, these are used for storywriting purposes and I as an independent nonprofit creator, under the Copyright Act and my federal rights as a public content creator, reserve no rights for the franchise and hold no intention of making profit off of this nonprofit original work.

* * *

 

Undertale is the property of Toby Fox and any borrowed elements are under nonprofit use and are secondly used to show my love for the creator and his amazing work; I reserve no rights to the product and am not affiliated with any companies who wish to plagiarize upon this independent creator's work.

* * *

 

I am an independent, nonprofit public content creator who by federal law, has free, strictly nonprofit, use of these public elements for integration with my original concepts and reserve no right to these talented individuals or the beautiful works they created.


	2. How'd we get here; Can we change it or what?

_Hikari._

_~~HELP ME!~~ _

_Hikari, use the card I gave you._

~~_HIKARI, I NEED YOU!_ ~~

_The strength of our bond will overcome anything._

_~~HIKARI! FIND ME!~~  
_

_Don't lose hope, Hikari. Be brave._

"Listen to my words, Yuri! Don't lose yourself to the shadows! Using the card my sister gave me, I will bring you back to us! I Tune my Prismic Maroon and my Prismic Alabaster! Shining dragon of duosion, resonate with the harmony of the stars and destroy our enemies at lightspeed! Synchro Summon! Level 7! Astral Zodiac Synchro Dragon!"

"What a surprise, everyone! One of Haoune Academy's top Fusion duelists has performed a Synchro Summon!" The announcer called.

"Yeah! Bring him back into the light, Hikari!" Natsuki shouted from the stands.

"Yuri! Using my sister's dragon, I will speak to you with my dueling! Listen to my words and come back into the light! Battle! Astral Zodiac Synchro Dragon attacks Shadow Mirror Fusion Dragon! Cosmic Flare!"

Hikari: 700

Yuri: 0

"The winner of this match is Minami Hikari!" The announcer's microphone-enhanced voice sounded true despite the voluminous cheering that rang through the stadium.

Yuri staggered as the great darkness left him. Hikari rushed up, helping him stand. Yugo ran down from the stands, grabbing their friends and raising their hands high.

This was the first match before the last round. The second match was Yugo versus Nanako, who had betrayed Haoune Academy and fled to their older siblings at the Declan Institute. Nanako had also been responsible for endlessly physically bullying Hikari and Yugo using Action Duels, to the extent where Yugo had  _fallen off his dragon_ and had to go to the infirmary because of how  _injured_ he was.

Once Nanako had fled for the Declan Institute, they hoped to be rid of her, but fate hated him this year. Or, this was a trial. Natsuki had been injured during an earlier match and was excluded from the tournament. Her friends were angry at this, but she had already accepted it. Her last match was an amazing one.


	3. Well that went quickly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This duel went extremely quickly for anime standards, but who cares this is my spinoff and Nakano isn't the main antagonist besides this story didn't even get a proper first episode I'll take care of that

"The second match of the quarter finals; Shimizu Yugo versus Akagi Nakano!"

"Come on,  _Fusion_! Weren't you going to show me that you could duel without holding your brothers' hands!?" Nakano started harshly. This was already looking bad.

"My name isn't Fusion, it's Yugo! And don't talk about my brothers like that!"

"I'll say what I want, Fusion! Now show me how much you want Yuri to hold your hands this match! Oh, wait! Yuri can't help you now!" Nakano teased, her voice dripping with malice.

"Shut up..." Yugo muttered, bowing his head, his bangs shadowing his eyes.

"Starborn's not here, Smallstar's with Yuri, and Utopia is out of commission-"

"I said shut up!" Yugo's head snapped upwards, his eyes flashing. A sense of dread began to fill the audience as a terrifying existence made its presence known, a chill running down Nakano's spine, her instincts telling her to run, but she ignored them and instead gave a sadistic smile. Yugo was succumbing to the same darkness Yuri had; soon, he would be hers. "Ore no turn! I discard one card to Special Summon the Tricky! Next, I Summon Reflection-Beast Temper! [Lv:2] I Tune the Tricky to Reflection-Beast Temper! Shining Dragon who controls the stars! Descend and with our heavenly powers, smite all opposition! Synchro Summon! Level 7! Stella Pulverem Dragon!"

Nakano took a step back, unnerved. She was expecting him to summon his dragon, not Kibowa's Duel Spirit! This was looking bad for her, she should definitely get out of here, her instincts screamed. But still she stood her ground. If she could concentrate her efforts, she'd be able to pull in Yugo and use him as her slave like she had with Yuri. Not long now...

Unfortunately for her, when Stella Pulverem Dragon roared, the aura of darkness vanished, almost as if the dragon was purifying him, whereas Yugo's dragon would simply plunge him further into the darkness. Yugo shook his head as if to clear the last wisps of darkness from his mind, before continuing his turn. "Stella Pulverem Dragon's effect! Once per turn, I can add one LIGHT monster to my hand! Using this effect, I add Reflection-Beast Forest to my hand! Stella Pulverem Dragon's other effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon one LIGHT monster from my hand, besides the one I added to my hand with the previous effect! I Special Summon Reflection-Beast Spotlight! [ATK-1200 DEF-1800 Lv:4/ (DEFENSE MODE)]I activate Reflection-Beast Spotlight's effect! Once per turn, I can inflict 500 damage to my opponent for every other monster on the field!"

Yugo: 4000

Nakano: 3500

"I set one card face down and end my turn!"

"Boku no turn! I Summon Prehistorian Aerodactyl!" A lilac pterodactyl appeared. [ATK-1800 DEF-1000 Lv:4] "Aerodactyl's effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon one level 4 or lower Prehistorian monster from my hand! I Special Summon Prehistorian Stegran!" A tan, lime-green-striped stegosaurus appeared. "I activate the Field Spell: Fusion Gate! Fusion Summons can be performed without a Polymerization card! I Fuse Prehistorian Aerodactyl and Prehistorian Stegran! Ancient navigator of the skies, ancient roamer of the lands! Unite and become the ruler of both sky and earth! Fusion Summon! Come forth, Ancient Ruler Fusion Dragon!" [ATK-2800 DEF-2000 Lv:8]

Yugo gasped as the darkness slammed into him. These dragons... these Summoning Method dragons... they were responsible for this darkness...! However, now that his mind had been cleared by Kibowa's will, he was less vulnerable and the darkness couldn't drag him back down!

"Battle! Ancient Ruler Fusion Dragon attacks Stella Pulverem Dragon!" She was aware of Stella Pulverem's effect, and it wouldn't help Yugo. However, she still had Ancient Ruler's effect, and if she destroyed Stella Pulverem, maybe he would into the darkness again... it was worth a shot, she mused.

Yugo: 3700

Nakano: 3500

Unfortunately for her, and fortunately for Yugo and his friends, the destruction of Stella Pulverem didn't affect him. He had resisted, he had endured, and now he was free.

"Ancient Ruler Fusion Dragon's effect! When Ancient Ruler destroys a monster by battle, it can attack again! Ancient Ruler Fusion Dragon attacks Reflection-Beast Spotlight!"

"Since Reflection-Beast Spotlight was in Defense Mode, I don't take any damage!"

"Wrong! Ancient Ruler Fusion Dragon inflicts piercing damage!"

Yugo: 2700

Nakano: 3500

"I set two cards face down and end my turn!"

"Ore no turn! I Summon Reflection-Beast Forest! [ATK-400 DEF-500 Lv:1/(DEFENSE MODE)] Reflection-Beast Forest's effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon one Tuner monster from my Graveyard! I Special Summon Stella Pulverem Dragon!" The snow-white imperial dragon rose out of a vortex that suddenly appeared and roared as the vortex disappeared. "I Tune Reflection-Beast Forest to Stella Pulverem Dragon! Crystal dragon who carries the stories of man in its wings, arise and rend the darkness! Synchro Summon! Level 8! Crystal Requiem Synchro Dragon!"[ATK-3000 DEF-2500 Lv:8] Nakano was dumbfounded. This wasn't Yugo's dragon either... where was he getting this pure power!?

"Battle! Crystal Requiem Synchro Dragon attacks Ancient Ruler Fusion Dragon! At this point, I activate Crystal Requiem Synchro Dragon's effect! When Crystal Requiem attacks another monster, the other monster's ATK is reduced to zero and the same amount is added to Crystal Requiem's ATK until the end of this turn! Tamashii no Kagami!"

[Crystal Requiem Synchro Dragon: ATK-3000>5800]

[Ancient Ruler Fusion Dragon: ATK-2800>0]

"An attack of 5800-!?" Nakano sputtered. The duel had just began and already, she was going to lose!? No, this couldn't be... she wouldn't allow it! She ran for an Action Card, grabbing it; it was Miracle! "Action Spell: Miracle! Ancient Ruler Fusion Dragon isn't destroyed and the damage is halved!" Nakano braced herself for the huge impact that would no doubt come. 2900 damage was an enormous amount of damage!

Yugo: 2700

Nakano: 600

"I end my turn."

"Boku no turn!" Nakano's eyes widened at her drawn card. This card... she must already be out of options, huh? "My final stand..." she mused, "This is the third turn, and I'm already on the ropes... I Special Summon Prehistorian Dominae." An indigo spinosaurus appeared, roaring at the white dragon with stained-glass wings. [ATK-2500 DEF-2000 Lv: 7] "I can Special Summon it by discarding two cards. Dominae's effect! When this card is Summoned, every other monster on the field is destroyed and their controller takes 500 damage for each. That means I take 500 damage, and you take 1000."

Yugo: 1700

Nakano: 100

"I now activate the Continuous Spell Incoming Extinction. It boosts the ATK points of every monster I control by 2000, but I take 200 points of damage during my Standby Phase. Battle. Prehistorian Dominae attacks directly!"

"I activate a Trap Card: Faced With Demise! I can activate this card when I am attacked directly! I draw one card, and if I draw a LIGHT monster, the attack is negated and my opponent takes 500 damage!"

"Gambling for fate, huh? Guess we're both out of options..." Nakano smiled sincerely, resigned to this. She had realized how wrong she was. She wanted to apologize, but it could wait. They had a match to finish, and she wasn't about to spoil the best duel she'd had in years. Three years, to be exact.

"Draw! I drew..." Yugo looked at the card, his eyes widening, and he smiled. "...Reflection-Beast Illumens!" Nakano's eyes widened as well, shocked. Illumens was a hybrid-archetype monster. One that shared Kibowa's archetype. Her smile widened, and she said, "Yugo... please forgive me."

Yugo: 1700

Nakano: 0

"Nakano... I see it now. You were raised into this role, weren't you?" It was a rhetorical question; she need not answer.

"I'm sorry for all of this. It's my fault that Yuri did all those things..."

"No, it's not your fault for my actions. It wasn't your fault that the darkness took me, either. Yugo showed you that it was easy to get out of it. I was a coward," Yuri said, walking onto the disappearing Action Field, followed by Hikari.

"Yuri, you aren't a coward, and you never were. If you were a coward, Hikari wouldn't be here and neither would Nakano." Yugo countered. His brother wasn't a coward, he knew that for sure.

"Yugo, I haven't seen you in three years! Aren't you going to hug your brother, or are you already trying to make things go back to normal?" The two had had plenty of sibling squabbles before all this happened.

"Yuri..." Yugo murmured, before rushing forward and clamping his arms around Yuri. Yuri stiffened, then returned the gesture. A sound of "Aww" filled the stadium before thundering applause echoed on the walls. Cheers rang out at the touching reunion. Yes, after Hikari and Yuri's match Yugo had come down from the stands, but Yuri had passed out and there was no chance for sibling reunions then.

Hikari turned to the issue of Nakano. "Nakano..." she said, an unspoken accusation obvious in her voice.

"Hikari... I'm sorry. It's also my fault your sister is gone."

"Not going to call her Starborn this time?"

"It started as an insult."

"I know that - but it became so much more. After all, only a star's light would've been able to banish the darkness like that."

"...You know, Smallstar is pretty fitting for you."

"Why do you say that?"

"You started out small, but when you look back you'll see how much you've grown. You became your own star."

"...That's really profound."

"You think so?"

Yugo and Yuri separated from the hug, and Yugo walked over to the two. "Well, that's enough for one day, I think. The championship match is tomorrow, so what do you say we go get some dinner?"

"You still have to take Yuri home," Hikari teased. "Your mom will be hysterical."

"One down, three to go, though. Mom will be hysterical about the fact that I didn't bring them all back in one fell swoop... unless Nakano is hiding them all in her super-secret base or something." Yugo cast a meaningful glance at Nakano.

"H-Hey, I thought you forgave me for that!" Nakano stuttered.

"I did. Just teasing, but seriously, I could go for some dinner."

"I second that." Yuri added.


	4. [REWIND] (First Episode yo)

Natsuki's doorbell rang. "Just a minute!" she called, rushing to the front door. It was Yugo, dressed in his tracksuit, his white helmet tucked under his elbow. His ice-blue eyes were filled with joy. "Yugo? What's up?"

"I just got this in the mail!" He said, offering her an envelope. She read the return address, and her eyes widened. A smile crept across her face. "Come on in, let's open it together!"

"You sure you don't want to call Hikari and tell her?"

"She already got one!"

"Okay..." they both sat on the couch, Yugo setting his helmet on the coffee table. Natsuki opened the seal with experienced fingers, pulling out the contents. She read aloud, "Shimizu Yugo has been accepted into the Haoune Dueling Academy."

"Congrats!" she cheered. He looked away, his bangs shadowing his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"It's just that... this was my dream... but I wanted to share it with them..."

"Oh... well, Yugo, you can always share it with us until we find them! After all, that's what friends are for, right?"

"Yeah! Now, go check your mailbox!" He pushed her towards the door.

"Okay, okay..." she walked outside and opened her mailbox, pulling out a single letter nearly identical to Yugo's. She returned inside, taking back her seat after scolding Yugo for putting his shoes on the couch. She opened the letter, a sense of anticipation washing over her... She got the same! "Yes!" she cheered. Yugo cheered with her.

Later the three celebrated their acceptance with ice cream. However, a certain someone had to ruin it... "Oh, look who it is, The Wonder Squad! Or should I say,  _Wonder Trio_?"

"Oh, shut up, Nakano, we all know you're not getting anywhere with this." Natsuki retorted. The three were all bummed about what happened to their former friend. After everyone went missing, Nakano's life took a wild headspin and now she continuously harassed them. The past seemed so distant to them now.

"Utopia, darling, you can't get everything you want... but I got an actual purpose to be here this time!"

"And exactly what might this 'purpose' be?" Yugo's voice dripped with annoyance.

"I got accepted into Haoune Academy!" Their jaws hit the floor. This couldn't possibly be happening...!

"Oh, wipe that shocked look off your faces! You all knew it was bound to happen!" She laughed, "and besides, wasn't the goal for all of us to do it together? I guess that's only true for half of us now, huh? And what about your brothers, Yugo? Weren't you going to find them? It's been two years already! Why don't you stop slacking off!?"

 

Yugo bowed his head, his bangs shadowing his eyes. "Yugo..." Hikari thought. Yugo only bowed his head when he was  _that_ angry. Hikari then made a decision. "Nakano, you don't have an excuse to talk to us anymore! You stopped being our friend as soon as you insulted Yugo the first time! If you want to brag, brag to your sisters! Oh, wait, they're at the DID! And you got accepted to Haoune just to harass us when you full well could've gone to DID too! Go away!"

"Hikari..." Natsuki murmured, from her seated position at the table. Nakano 'hmphed' and spun on her heel, leaving the three to process the situation.

"Are you okay, Yugo?" Hikari was concerned about him. His head was bowed still.

"I'm fine," he whispered. Hikari was unsure, but at this point it would be better to just let him go. Yugo grabbed his helmet and stalked off toward his D-Wheel. Natsuki said nothing.

* * *

 

Yugo slammed the front door and stomped up the stairs before his mother could say a single word. Another slam sounded from upstairs, this time from Yugo's bedroom door, and a dull  _thud_ as he haphazardly tossed his helmet onto the floor and collapsed into the bed, shoving his face into a pillow, tears streaming from his eyes. Nakano used to be their friend...! The old Nakano would never say anything that hurt any of them, at least not on purpose. If she did, she would immediately apologize. His head was pounding, his eyes stung, and it felt like he had a lump in his throat. He screamed, the sound muffled by the pillow.

However a simple pillow wasn't enough to stop his mother from hearing it, and she sighed. "Yugo..." She knew that Nakano had insulted his brothers again. That was one of the only things that could make him like this. She marched up the stairs, determined to comfort her only remaining child. Furthermore, she was the only one who could; their father was gone too, and Yugo had probably rushed off, abandoning his friends. She pushed open the door, only somewhat prepared for the volume to increase once she was inside the room itself. She winced before heading over to him, sitting down on the bed and simply rubbing circles into his back.

This process extended for a long while before finally, the screams ceased, though ugly sobbing noises, albeit muffled, could still be heard. She sighed again. At least he had screamed into the pillow this time; she was getting a little tired of complaints from frightened and/or concerned neighbors. He looked up at her, his bloodshot eyes making him look even more terrible; icy blue did not go well with heavily-saturated pink. He blinked, attempting to sit up, but clutched at his head and promptly laid back down again. "Yugo." She started, her voice gentle.

"Mom, she won't stop..."

"I know, honey, I know. You don't deserve this. But try to look at it her way."

"How will that help?"

"She only started doing this after  _that_ , didn't she? She's pushing away, Yugo. She's trying her best to make herself not care about it."

"Why would she want to do that!?" Yugo exclaimed, still angry.

She was patient with him. In the position she was in, you had to be. "Think of it this way: what if her sisters are being just as mean to her?"

"Then she'd come to her friends for help-oh..."

"See? She feels inadequate, and she's doing this to make herself feel higher."

"... I'll duel her."

"Yugo, that's not what I was trying to say here-"

"I need to do this, Mom!" Her eyes widened. She remembered another voice saying that to her and started to shake.

"Oh god mom I'm so sorry- please forgive me..." he snapped up out of the bed and rushed out the door and through the house, not bothering to take his helmet. He clambered onto his D-Wheel and rode off, towards the place where he knew Nakano hung out at.


	5. Episode 2 [REWIND]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nakano-centered chapter. Is Nakano really just GX nostalgia? Admit it her story is ridiculously similar to Chazz/Jun's; we have the siblings who try to force her into doing things, people who she's jerks to, gets a redemption arc, flees the school and then duels previous school in a multi-school battle. The main only differences I can find are gender, timeframe, number of schools involved, and the fact that Nakano was friends with the people she bullied before the start of the series.

The creaking of the only door in this building alerted Nakano to her visitor. "Hello?" she called, though she had a feeling it was Yugo.

She was right.

Yugo didn't respond, only taking silent steps forward until he loomed behind her, still silent.

"Yugo...?" she sounded just like she used to.

"Tell me everything." he said, and her eyes widened. She turned around, looking at him.

"I thought you hated me..."

"Just tell me." His voice was emotionless, his helmet still on. She couldn't read his eyes; that pesky visor was the only thing in between her eyes and his. She reached up and attempted to press the button on his helmet that she knew would retract the visor. She needed to see his eyes.  _She needed him to see her eyes._

He stood there as the visor retracted with a mechanical  _whir_ and she gazed into his eyes; his clear blue eyes that so often she had gotten lost in, so long ago...

"I can't..."

"Why not?"

"If they find out I told you, they'll...!"

"I won't let them."

"You can't stop them!"

"I can and I will."

"Yuri tried..."

"So it was  _their fault_..." he growled. She was shocked. Those two words were a taboo among her friends, for some reason that she had never discovered, only linked back to Yugo and his brothers. It was one of the stranger things about the four, their avoidance of the word fault used in that form.

"That's not what caused it, just what started it..."

"Then what happened?"

"Kibowa happened."

"You don't mean..."

"They have Yuri."

"...what." Yugo deadpanned; stunning revelations in the middle of his thought process weren't Nakano's style.

"They have Yuri, Yugo." This sent him into controlled rage. He bowed his head, something she recognized as his form of expressing extreme anger.

"Well well well, look who's a traitor to the family!" An unknown voice called from across the room.  _Nakano's sisters._ A second voice followed up with, "Hanging out with the other one, I see?"

Yugo spun, his eyes lit with a burning rage. Wisps of darkness gathered and rolled off him. "So  _you_ are the ones responsible..."

"Look how easily he embraces the darkness! Nakano, would you  _be a dear_ and grab him for us?"

Nakano gasped, before something clicked in her mind, her face went blank, and she tackled Yugo, pinning him to the ground. He screamed in rage, attempting to free himself. Before they could do anything else, the door was slammed open and Hikari and Natsuki ran in. "Let him go!" Hikari shouted. Yugo continued screaming, thrashing in her grip now, as if he was possessed. Hikari ran forward, slamming into Nakano and knocking her off Yugo, freeing him. Yugo's hands immediately clutched at his head, the screaming growing in intensity.

Natsuki, meanwhile, approached the two figures cautiously. What could they do to her?

Hikari stood there, uncertain. Should she help Yugo, restrain Nakano, or back up Natsuki? She pulled some emergency zip-ties out of her pocket; restrain Nakano first. She tied Nakano's hands behind her back; good enough, she deemed. Now onto Yugo. She lunged down and pinned him, placing her hand over his mouth. She didn't know how this would work, but...

Yugo thrashed, before passing out due to some unknown strain. Natsuki released him, glancing over at Natsuki. Natsuki gave her a thumbs-up, before returning to her 911 call. The two attempted to make a quick getaway but were caught by police. Yugo's mother sighed when she saw the unconscious boy in Hikari and Natsuki's arms. "Here, let me take him," she offered, and carried him inside. Hikari discussed what had happened, and his mother cast a forlorn worried glance at her son. This hadn't happened before... was her son possessed? She didn't want to believe it...

~~_"What happened three years ago?" You may ask._ ~~

_== >Hikari:Remember._


	6. Hikari: Remember [REWIND]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'M MAKING SO MANY EDITS LATER ON WHEEEEEEEE~

"Hikari... what happened two years ago?" Yugo's mother asked. The time had come.

"Nakano... Nakano activated a device that she said her sisters claimed to be able to travel between dimensions... The device malfunctioned and... Kibowa and Reika were just... gone. And- and Yuri, he... he just-  _vanished_. I-I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize, you were put into an impossible position. None of this was your fault." She said reassuringly.

"Thank you."

* * *

_Date: July 15 21XX_

"Yugo... do you remember what you said in that warehouse?" Nakano asked.

"What do you mean?"

"When you used a Forbidden Phrase..."

"Oh... what did I say?"

"You used fault..."

"..." Yugo was silent. Fault was one of the worse ones they could use. Hikari and Natsuki didn't even question it; after all, they had oddities of their own. "... What's left?"

"What do you mean, what's left?"

"What's left of the old you?"

"...I don't know. Everything's changed, and still changing. I don't recognize myself compared to two years ago."

"I know. Trust me, I know. I don't recognize myself either."

"But- the difference between you and I is that you're still a nice person, while I just- I feel like I'm not in control of myself, you know?"

"I get that feeling too."

"But with you it's obvious; you get the glowy-eyes and the weird indigo wispy things."

"So what you're saying is you think you're being mind controlled? By who? Your clearly-insane sisters?"

"I don't even know. All I know is that I did a lot of bad things and you're not responsible for your bad things while I am."

"...and I haven't forgiven you for it. Not fully. So give me some space. I'll call you when I get myself sorted out."

"Okay, Yugo. I'll go. But you better not forget to call me!"


	7. A three turn duel is apparently eventful enough to fill a moderately-sized chapter; hooray

**"The championship round of the Nobility Cup! Shimizu Yugo versus Minami Hikari!"**

"Let's do this, Yugo. No holding back, right?"

"Right! Let's do this, Hikari! Duel!"

Yugo: 4000

Hikari: 4000

"I'll go first! I Summon Reflection-Beast Crystal! [Lv: 4] I activate Reflection-Beast Crystal's effect! We both reveal the top ten cards in our deck, and if any of them are Level 5 or lower monsters, we Special Summon them, and the rest of the cards are added to our hands!" Yugo and Hikari revealed the top ten cards of their decks.

Yugo Special Summoned Reflection-Beast Forest, Reflection Beast Spotlight, and Reflection-Beast Temper.

Hikari Special Summoned Prismic Maroon, Prismic Alabaster, Prismic Aegean, Prismic Sky, and Prismic Sapphire.

"Now, I activate Reflection-Beast Spotlight's effect! I deal 500 damage to my opponent for every other monster on the field!"

"I activate the effect of Prismic Maroon! I can destroy this card, and negate an effect that would inflict damage to me!"

"Next I activate Reflection-Beast Forest's effect! I can add one Field Spell Card from my deck to my hand! I add Synchro Dragon Temple to my hand, and activate it! I now Tune my Reflection-Beasts Forest and Spotlight with Reflection-Beast Temper! Shining dragon who controls the stars! Descend and with your heavenly powers, smite all opposition! Synchro Summon! Level 7! Stella Pulverem Dragon! Now, I pay 500 LP to activate Synchro Dragon Temple's effect! Dragon who embodies the darkness, spread across reality in the absence of light! Synchro Summon! Level 12! Eternal Darkness Synchro Dragon!"

"A Level 12 monster on the first turn!?" Nakano exclaimed from their front-row seats.

"He's going to waste it's effect," Yuri sighed.

"I set four cards and end my turn!" Yuri's eyes widened. Yugo didn't know Eternal Darkness's effect, did he!?

"Boku no turn! I activate the Continuous Spell, Hall of Glass! Next, I activate the Field Spell, Fusion Gate! You already know its effect! I activate it now, fusing Prismic Aegean and Sapphire! Mages of the blue light, become the light in the eyes of a higher being! Fusion Summon! Level 8! Prismic Cerulean! Prismic Cerulean's effect! It gains 200 ATK for every Prismic monster in the Graveyard! [Prismic Cerulean: ATK-2800>3200] Then, Prismic Cerulean's other effect! I can banish one Prismic monster from my Graveyard [Prismic Cerulean: ATK-3200>3000] and attack my opponent directly this turn!" Yugo dashed for an Action Card. He couldn't take 3000 damage this early in the duel! However, the massive blue beam that the mage had fired finally hit him, and he fell to the ground from the force of the attack.

Yugo: 1000

Hikari: 4000

"Next, I activate the effect of Prismic Alabaster. Twice per turn, if one monster I control attacked, that monster I control can attack again. Prismic Cerulean attacks directly!"

"Action Spell: Evasion! The attack is negated!"

"The effect activates again! Prismic Cerulean attacks directly!"

"I activate the Trap Card: Faced With Demise! I draw one card, and if it's a LIGHT monster, the attack is negated and you take 500 damage! Draw! I drew Reflection-Beast Skybound, whose effect activates!"

Yugo: 1000

Hikari: 3500

"Reflection-Beast Skybound!?" Hikari exclaimed.

"If this card was added to my hand outside of the Draw Phase, I can Special Summon it!"

"Prismic Aegean's effect! I can banish it from the Graveyard to destroy all monsters my opponent controls!"

"Reflection-Beast Temper's effect! When it is in the Graveyard, I can negate one effect that would destroy monsters I control!"

"I set two cards face down and end my turn."

"Ore no turn! I Tune my Stella Pulverem Dragon to my Reflection-Beast Skybound! Heavenly morning star that resides in the maelstrom of chaos, harness the infinite power of the stars! Synchro Summon! Level 12! Heavenly Sun Synchro Dragon!"

The sky (ironically) darkened as the serpentine sun dragon appeared on the field. 

"Well, Yugo's got this in the bag," Yuri said, standing up and turning in the direction of the stairs leading onto the stadium.

"I activate the effect of Heavenly Sun Synchro Dragon! If Eternal Darkness Synchro Dragon is on the field, I gain Life Points equal to the combined original ATK of all monsters on the field, and my opponent takes the same amount in damage!"

Natsuki did the math in her head.  _"Original ATK... Crystal Requiem has 3000, Eternal Darkness and Heavenly Sun have 4000 each, and Prismic Alabaster, Prismic Maroon, and Prismic Sky have 1500 each. 3000 + 8000 + 4500 equals... 15,500!"_ "Hikari! You have to negate it!"

"I'm trying!"

"Card effects cannot be activated in response to Heavenly Sun's activation!" The sky brightened once again, the clouds clearing seemingly at Yugo's command as he motioned towards the sky with an open hand. The sun seemed to radiate with renewed vigor.

Yugo: 1000

Hikari: 0

The sheer force of the damage sent Hikari flying backwards. She landed on the very edge of the Action Field. Yugo ran forward, seeing if Hikari needed help. "This duel felt longer than it probably was," Hikari chuckled.

"It was only three turns," Yugo said, with a bit of a whine, but extending his hand to her nevertheless.

"Yeah okay Duel Jesus," Hikari teased, accepting Yugo's hand and pulling herself up.

"Duel Jesus?"

"You parted the clouds. I'd say that's a Duel Jesus moment right there."

"Oh shush you."

The announcer finally got his lines in order,  **"T-The winner of the Nobility Cup is Shimizu Yugo of Haoune Academy!"** and as if on cue, the audience finally cheered. Applause rang throughout the stadium, and Yuri made it over first. Yuri extended his hand and silently beckoned for something. Yugo "oh"-ed and flipped open his Extra Deck, pulling out Shadow Mirror Fusion Dragon and handing it to Yuri without a word. Hikari caught a glimpse of what card Yugo returned to Yuri and inquired about it, confused, "Yugo? Why was Shadow Mirror in your Extra Deck?"

"Eh- um, Yuri lent it to me and wanted me to use it in our duel, but I never drew Polymerization, so I didn't have the chance."

"Wait, hold on, you have a  _Polymerization_ in your deck?"

"Yeah! Just like Yuri has Tuners in his! We don't have to stick to our  _preferred_ Summoning methods, you see."

"Yugo, I think she gets it. I just want to get out of here. Nakano's getting antsy." True to his word, Nakano was fidgeting with her hands where she stood a few feet away, offering optional support for Natsuki.

"You're right. Want to hit up Grillby's?"

"Nostalgia? I'm in!" Hikari agreed, her smile growing wider.

"Sounds good," Yuri added.

"Yeah!" Natsuki chimed in, Nakano echoing her with a slightly quieter "yeah".

* * *

* * *

* * *

* * *

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took SO long to write! I hope you enjoy, switching back and forth between points in the timeline is going to be a major staple of this fic.


	8. [TRANSITIONAL] Just A Slight Hint of What is to Come

_Three years from present date_

_Unknown Location_

She awoke from her concussion-induced slumber, eyes fluttering open to find herself in a cell-like stone room, a small amount of daylight filtering in from a single barred window that bordered the ceiling. She tried to move, but found her hands bound above her in chained cuffs that connected to the wall. Her legs were bound in a similar fashion, this time to the rigid metal chair she sat in. On the far wall sat a metal door with an adjustable viewing slat. Nothing else was in the room, bar the walls and floor, coated with dust from misuse. A clear trail was drawn through the dust, presumably by her captors as they entered the room.

She did not know what fate awaited her.

 

 


	9. [RECAP 1]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A friendly recap that... gives more info???? How am i supposed to write recaps UGH I AM NOT GOOD WITH SUBTLETY

So I heard you guys want a recap... here you go.

 

The story starts three years before the start of the story. Yugo, Yuri, Hikari, ~~Kibowa,~~ ~~Reika~~ , and Natsuki all go to Nakano's meetup; a cliche, decrepit warehouse. Just your run-of-the-mill cliche scenario right here. So, Nakano does things, the dimensional machine malfunctions, and rips a hole in time and space, which sucks in ~~Kibowa~~ and ~~Reika~~. During this, Yuri disappears into a smaller vortex that presumably leads to a different place. This vortex is linked to the DID, where Yuri ends up, and is put to use by the Akagi elder sisters, aka. Nakano's elder sisters, as the Draconian Deliverant, which is the title they assigned him after discovering his powers of Darkness and connection to the Dragons, as well as his cemented place in the reincarnation cycle, which has totally always been present. We go back to Yugo, Hikari, Natsuki, and Nakano. Everyone's got missing family members (except Nakano of course). We move to one day after the Absconditus, which is the name of the event that occurred the day before, where one of the four Nobles, Declan himself, is observing the ragtag remnants of the footage recovered from the sight of the incident. He then makes the connection between the smaller vortex and the one that appeared in his own building. He storms down, only to find the disemboweled corpses of 14 DID employees, and the absence of the Akagis', as well as their charge. Thus starts the DID Conspiracy. We then move to one year after the Absconditus, where Yugo, Hikari, Nakano, and Natsuki have all been accepted into the Haoune Academy. The events of the REWIND chapters happen, where the Darkness is starting to stir. It will not start becoming a major plot point until the beginning of the Nobility Cup, as it appears in its full presence during Yuri's first match; versus Natsuki. Yugo and Hikari can only stare in muted horror during the match, and Natsuki watches sadly and silently as guards drag Yugo away from the edge of the stadium when he tries to enter the field and get to Yuri, who is following behind a smug-looking, mind-controlled Nakano as they exit the field, while Natsuki, unconscious, is being wheeled in a stretcher to the infirmary, where her broken leg is set. The rounds of the Nobility Cup advance, and luckily not many important events happen. Then, we come to the duel between Yuri and Hikari, where Yuri's Darkness has been starting to slip as Hikari slowly cracks it. Finally, at the end of the match, Yuri is fully released, and he falls unconscious due to the strain of three years of being continually forced into the Dark state via controlled shocks. Next, we advance to the Yugo and Nakano duel, where the mind control has already fully overlayed with Nakano's brain, forcing her into believing she was in control of her actions the past three years, post-Absconditus. The same was done to Yuri, albeit using a different method, via (callback!) the Awakening chemical that interferes with the memories of the subject's higher conscious. Finally, we come to the Yugo and Hikari duel, in which Yugo defeats Hikari with the effect of Heavenly Sun Synchro Dragon, whose effect inflicts a massive 15,500 damage to Hikari, essentially a One-Turn Kill. The force of the attack knocks Hikari backwards onto the very edge of the Action Field, where she lands on the concrete border of the Riding Duel track. As the Action Field dissipates, Yugo rushes over just as Yuri and Nakano arrive, both looking sheepish, with Nakano offering optional support to Natsuki. They have a few laughs, make one or two jokes, and decide to all go to dinner to celebrate. We then cut scene to the kidnapped woman, who shall be referred to as the Thief, and a brief description of her surroundings. In the next chapter we shall examine the fate of the Akagis' after they fled the DID one day after the Absconditus, thus beginning to explore further into the DID Conspiracy Arc. Allow me to now explain the headings of certain chapters. Chapters with no heading (in brackets) will be present-date chapters. Chapters labeled [REWIND] are chapters taking place in the Aftermath Arc, which details the Absconditus. Chapters labeled [TRANSITIONAL] are chapters that serve as transitions between Arcs, such as the first [TRANSITIONAL] chapter, which functions as a transition between the Nobility Cup Arc and the DID Conspiracy Arc. This is all the info that you will need. Until then, keep on keepin' on and remember to "HITOTSU NI", as the Darkness compels you. The Darkness compels you. Sell your soul to Hussie and KONAMI. (DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT ENDORSED BY ANDREW HUSSIE OR KONAMI, IF I WAS THIS WOULD STILL BE NONPROFIT ANYWAY)


	10. The Hunt Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally the Nobles are a part of the story! Only two though. The other two are coming later, don't ask me when.

Yugo and Yuri looked up at the massive, ornate oak doors; did they really want to do this? Well, all worries needed to be cast aside now; it was too late to back out at this point. Here they were; seeking council with Haoune herself. The doors opened slowly, the hinges gliding smooth, and thus there were no creaks, only paralyzing silence. A blinding light filled their eyes and when they opened them again, they saw a much different scene; a clean, orderly circular room, with velvet carpeting and lilac fabric curtains covering windows through which slits of light illuminated the marble walls. In the exact center of the room, firmly seated in a...standardized office chair- what? Don't judge the seating choices of one of the world's most influential politicians- sat Haoune herself. Yugo gulped; he had grown used to seeing her on TV screens, living in her quadrant of Spyral, but her mere presence demands respect. Yuri was only slightly more comfortable, having been in arm's length of His Regal Dominance, ruler of the enemy, for the past three years, as his greatest weapon should be, but this was different; Haoune was a just ruler- she projected reassurance while HRD projected fear- and the consequent metaphysical weight lifted from his shoulders was an unusual feeling. And if he wasn't mistaken, he was going to have to adjust to this; their proposition, if it didn't fall through, would have the five of them seeking council both Declan and Haoune on a regular basis.

Haoune waited patiently, calmly, for them to speak. She would not push them; she could sense the fear radiating from both of them from a mile away.

After a shared glance and a subtle nod, they both agreed that Yugo would speak. "Ma'am, we have a-a proposition."

"A proposition?"

"Y-Yes. We'd like to propose a reopening of the Absconditus investigation."

"Well, boys, due to the nature of this incident, as I'm sure you already know, this would have you seeking council with Declan," she mused.

"Y-Yes, we know, ma'am."

"I'm glad, because not only am I going to approve this, I believe I shall also be taking affirmative action. I'll call you back in when I've gathered all the collected evidence from the previous investigation; you two, as well as your friends, are key factors in this."

"T-Thank you, ma'am."

"You're welcome. Now out you go, back to your friends. Go enjoy some time together; it's a beautiful day outside." She verbally ushered the two out of her office, then immediately got to work, first calling Declan and informing him that yes, she had confirmed their proposition, and yes, she was going to make sure that they prank-ordered about 25 or so pizzas to the personal residence of a particularly mean-spirited senator. Together, the two shared soft laughter... but it was also _evil_ laughter. The evilest and softest of the soft evil laughing known to man.

* * *

Mum was reclining, reading a paperback copy of "Complacency of the Learned", when Yugo and Yuri rushed in the house, speaking frantically and too fast for her to understand. "Whoa, hey, slow down a little."

"Sorry, mum... it's just that, well, we got confirmation!"

 "That's great! So... what now?"

"Well, I don't know just yet, but... we were kind of planning to just chill until Haoune calls us back in."

"That's fine, then. Movie?"

"Sure."

"Yes," Yuri agreed.


	11. Dreams

Yugo dreamt of a summer that had never yet passed. The green sun hung beautifully in the daylight sky, shining its radiant light down upon the single human present. A few straggling clouds drifted lazily across the clear blue expanse, blocking out the sun partially every now and then. He stood in a grassy field, the wind having died down to a gentle breeze, and felt the warmth on his shoulders; being in sunlight was good for him, his mother had said, and he could see what she meant; Yugo constantly took up residence in the garage, falling asleep on his work desk many a time.

Suddenly the scene changed; dark clouds gathered on the horizon, blocking out the sun and its green-tinted rays, and the wind picked up, a once-gentle breeze that warmed his shoulders now whipped around them. It was cold. The grass around him fell brown and the trees' leaves whipped around him, leaving skeletal structures of wood hanging ominously in the background of what could be a supposed horror film. A sense of dread crept up his spine and he shivered, his eyes darting around frantically for any source of danger...

There was none. He exhaled a sigh of relief, looking up again to see that the sun had returned, banishing the storm clouds from where they invaded a calm, peaceful setting and corrupted it. The leaves returned to the trees, and the grass sprung back up, returning from the dead, now invigorated. All around him, flowers began to bloom; flowers of all shapes, all colors. A soft melody drifted from the distance; he turned towards it, hoping to see someone else present in the ever-changing landscape, but all he saw was the continued wide expanse of nature. The sense of dread began to grow again, bringing with it fear. He was alone in this endless expanse of plants that shifted in a heartbeat. The flowers wilted, the grass fell to black. The trees whipped around in the wind, regaining that skeletal look as brown, wet leaves swirled around him, caught in the brutal winds. The dark clouds once again loomed over him, bringing their "blessing" of rain. Muddy water pooled around his feet. The once-beautiful expanse had become desolate for a second time. The cheerful melody became one of melancholy and mourning, promising times of grief.

He attempted to move, but the water held him still, becoming solid mud; he was petrified. His eyes darted around frantically, searching for something, anything that would bring hope... and his eyes settled on the figure that appeared in front of him, as if heeding his panicked beckoning. The figure was quite literally cloaked in darkness. Mirrors appeared around him, suspended in midair by some invisible force that he couldn't bring himself to question at the moment. He peered at the figure, squinting as if that would allow him to see the figure more clearly. A voice spoke to him and him alone, powerful yet gentle. There was something in the voice that made the image of  a bleak, barren landscape flash in his mind briefly; it was the same landscape he now stood surrounded by. He listened to the voice grow quieter and quieter as his fear subsided; with the protective yet gentle fierceness of the voice, he felt  _safe_.

The landscape shifted once again, this time into a more confined space; a cozy room with no doors. A scent of cinnamon filled the room, from a lit scented candle above the fireplace, which roared softly, crackling and popping as the flames devoured the logs placed inside, behind the relative safety of a drawn-closed metal door. A quite inviting chair rested in the corner, an unlabeled book on the armrest. He sat down and picked up the book, opening it slowly, calmly, his hands shaking a small bit. The page was blank and crisp, resembling that of an old diary, or something along those lines. However, there were no lines on which to write on, unlike most diaries, and also an absence of dated pages. He turned the page, seeing a picture, one that was not as colorful as it had been to his eyes earlier; the beautiful endless garden, now encased in sepia and locked within the confines of this book for the rest of eternity. On the next page was the barren landscape, also devoid of color. On the third page rested a picture of the very room he was in now, unperturbed, as it clearly had been taken before his interference. Meanwhile, none of the other pages had anything on them; no pictures, no words, not even dates. He shivered instinctively; something was very,  _very_ wrong.

He opened his eyes slowly, blinking the last traces of sleep out of his eyes as the rays of the rising sun filtered through his window; the sun was yellow, like it always had been.


	12. Dreams, Pt. 2

Yuri dreamt of a winter that was yet to come. He stood in the middle of an endless expanse fringed by skeletal trees, snowflakes falling, uninhibited by the gentle, cold breeze flowing through. The crystalline snow blanketed a layer of yellowed grass; a few crisp, brown leaves were scattered here and there. The sun, a radiant shade of green, shone brightly, though its rays were somewhat obstructed by the falling snowflakes, giving it a glassy sheen. Clouds rested all about the sky, giving it a surreal look as the sunlight reflected off the clouds at an odd angle.

The wind bit at the corners of his eyes, reddening his nose, and making the hairs raise all over his skin as he stood in the stinging, brutally cold winds; whether this was despite or because of his unspecified clothing was uncertain. The wind began to pick up, the gentle breeze whipping around him, the biting gusts bringing him to his knees as he shivered uncontrollably, tears running freely in his body's fickle attempt to protect his eyes, while his nose's snotty fluids ran down in liquid form, quickly freezing over his quivering lip. He squinted, attempting to see through the tears and the blizzard that had kicked up. The snow piled around him, trapping him inside its freezing embrace; he was going to die, wasn't he, petrified in this icy cage? He couldn't move. The snow stacked up to his shoulders now, and he attempted to free himself, but he was- quite literally- frozen in fear. He craned his neck, attempting to raise his head to evade the snowstorm snagging his chin in its cold embrace. But alas, he found himself ensnared in the winter prison, doomed to his certain, untimely demise.

As he sighed in resignation, the snow melted and the winds died down, soaking him in a chilly shower that pooled at his feet, creating an icy puddle. He shivered, the uncertain clothing articles he was draped in providing no protection from the absence of heat in the barely-unfrozen drops. The green sun's rays continued to shine down, causing the snow to shimmer as if there were thousands of emerald shards buried within the delicate flakes that rested on the solid ground.

He snapped awake, looking out at the window; it was daybreak. The summer sun shone brightly, the light somewhat obscured by his velvet curtains.


	13. Dreams, Pt. 3

Natsuki dreamt of a spring that was yet to come. She stood in a field of flowers and saw trees all around her budding. The grass swayed lightly in the soft breeze, which brought a sweet fragrance, and along with it, pollen. The trees' leaves fluttered in the wind as the branches waved. In the sky hung a pure green sun, its rays peeking out from behind the safety of the snow-white clouds that drifted lazily across the clear blue expanse above her. This was a lie, she thought. There was no way a scene could be so perfect. And just like that, the scene fractured around her. The field erupted into flames around her, a booming crash sounding ominously in the distance; a thunderstorm. The winds whipped around her in what appeared to be a fickle attempt to douse the raging fire, however the flames could not be quelled. The trees burned and crackled, lighting arced across the sky, smiting those trees that still stood. Time seemed to tick by in slow motion as the flowers caught fire, departing this world one puff of smoke at a time. She trembled in fear. She attempted to run, to escape... but there was no escape. The flames surrounded her. If only... she stared at the storm clouds in the distance, and with a solemn nod, she jumped. The scene shifted around her once again. She was falling. Below, dark, muddled water that lapped at the pumice cliff face rhythmically. Above, a narrow precipice, engulfed in flames. She was mere inches away from the water. Right before she crashed into the waves and undoubtedly met her demise, she jerked awake without a sound. The morning sun hung slightly above the sea of trees that fringed the horizon, it's rays filtering through her silken curtains and illuminating her down comforter.


	14. Dreams, Pt. 4

Hikari dreamed of an autumn that had yet to pass. The breeze lightly stirred piles of aged, moist leaves pushed to the side, out of the way of cobblestone paths and smudged up against fences, as if to push the task of raking and bagging the leaves away for another time. The sun glittered brightly in the clear blue expanse above her. The grass swayed lightly, brushing up against her ankles and tickling them. She giggled softly. Rain clouds loomed on the horizon, bringing tides of change and sent a chill running down her spine, filling her with a sense of dread. She ignored it, instead focusing on the cottony wisps drifting lazily across the sky.

With her blind ignorance of the situation, time froze. The grass stopped swaying, the wind stopped flowing along its invisible currents, and the leaves remained still as they always had, not having any significance whatsoever. The dreaded clouds halted their approach. Suddenly, the storm clouds dispersed as the sun shifted drastically, dismounting the sky to allow night to come. Time resumed; there was a slight chill in the air, and the stars twinkled in the expanse above, once a sea of sapphires but now an inversion of the ocean's depths. Hikari exhaled lightly, the gentle breeze continuing to flow around her, the cream-colored scarf tied around her waist ribboning in sideways motion behind her; on a night like this, she felt like she could fly.

Hikari blinked the sleep out of her eyes, having enjoyed that dream wholly.

(End of Dreams)


	15. Our Enemies

Around three in the morning, gunshots could be heard ringing soundly, bouncing off the metal, stone, and brick walls of the middle-class suburbs of their neighborhood. People locked their doors, and some took up arms. Strangely, no police showed up to handle the situation. The gunshots came from the residence of an ordinary man, one who had his heart set on giving the people living in the dilapidated, drug and crime-infested areas of the city a better quality of life. He did not succeed, sadly, due to his untimely demise that night, murdered in his house, asleep, at three in the morning. The terrorists stormed the streets in an orderly fashion and carded civilians by the masses using giant hard light monsters to vaporize buildings in a heartbeat. Duelists nearby took up arms and attempted to fight back, but the force and surprise of the attack was overwhelming. Officers attempted to evacuate the suburbs and keep the terrified residents calm while, after a mass mutual agreement accompanied by hundreds of solemn nods, duelists created Solid Vision barricades, creating a colorful array of ace monsters lined up in a unified wall. If they failed in their newly-sworn protection of those who could not fight, civilians would be carded by the thousands.

It was in these defensive lines that four of our five protagonists could be spotted, Nakano defending another sector of the city. She lived the farthest away from everyone else out of the group. Their dragons loomed, especially massive, countering the uniform strike force with their own attacks. The sight of such young teenagers defending the city alongside grown men and women rekindled a fiery passion that had been dwelling in the hearts of those adults, renewing them. Slowly, however, their defense was pushed back, and possibly, their despair peaked when news came that they had already lost a quarter of the city to the enemy. Defeat loomed ominously over their heads like the dark clouds that dwelled in the sky, blocking out the moon and stars, creating a desolate landscape fitting for the defeat of these civilians who seemingly flung themselves headfirst into martyrdom.

The Nobles were up to their knees in their own problems, constantly having to mobilize troops in order to not create any glaring weaknesses in their strategy. They were tired, everyone was, but they had to keep fighting; if the central government fell, the rest of the city would follow. The numbers of their enemies were absolutely ridiculous, the force that mounted the assault on the Central Tower stood 5,000 strong by itself, while the forces available for them to defend with standing at a measly 2,000. Defeat seemed imminent.

* * *

 

Another quarter of the city down, but the enemy's numbers were dwindling as their troops received the force of their attack tenfold, most of the reversed assault being brutally inflicted by a now-Awakened Yugo and Yuri, their dragons taking out the opponent's humongous iron golems one by one with beams of pure destruction. Their devastating karmatic reverse attack inspired the rest of the troops to rally, some duelists taking to the rooftops to get a vantage point, others using it to aim standard police-issue Warfare Sniper monsters at the assailants.

Nakano slowly made her way through the debris, leading a ragtag group out of the destroyed sector of the city, through the desolate asphalt roads, glass crunching under their combat boots as they mourned the loss of their comrades, but they still pushed on regardless, looking to help in any way they can.

Natsuki frantically scrambled out of the way of yet another beam; the enemy was starting to catch onto her strategy, which everyone had been hasty to label "Death from Above", due to her monsters being avian. She looked around, searching for Yugo and Yuri; Hikari had hastily told her to keep an eye on them before jumping back into the fray. She found them easily; it wasn't too hard, just look for the trail of destruction they left in their wake. The two were encircled by towering iron giants, the enemy having quickly realized how much of a threat they had become. She was about to step in when she noticed that they each controlled all of their dragons. All of them. She sighed in relief; they would make quick work of the terrorists at this rate.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, at the Central Tower, the Nobles pushed on, despite having already lost half the city. The other half was pushing on, renewed by the steady decrease in the enemy lines. The Nobles surveyed camera feeds of the still-raging battlefronts, paying especially close attention to the situation with Yugo and Yuri, warning all nearby officers to keep an eye on the two; this fierceness of theirs had caused plenty of trouble during the recent tournament.

* * *

Hikari was opting out of the fight for now, using her quick wits and speed to mobilize the forces and help transport the injured to the established medical tents. She was injured as well, and many were worried for her, but she pushed on regardless; she had to keep everyone moving, get the injured out of the fight and prepare others to take their place in defending their home.

* * *

 After a night of fighting, the sun hung low on the horizon when a cry of victory rang throughout the city. They had been presented with a surprise attack mounted upon them with absolutely no warning, and though defeat had hung heavy on their shoulders, the citizens had defended their home. No easy rest would come, as this attack was traumatizing for many, thousands having been crushed under collapsing buildings and incinerated by raging flames that lapped eagerly at the soft, weakened flesh of those already dead. When the dust settled, they realized just how much of their home had fallen. By the light of the rising sun, thousands of solemn vows were made to rise out of the ashes of Spyral and come back stronger than ever.


	16. Rebuild, Only to Drown in a Crashing Wave.

Most of the survivors were duelists, due to the enemy having cut off the evacuation and shown no mercy to the injured or otherwise unable to fight. They would surely cave and perish in the event of a second strike; they were vulnerable. The great city of Spyral had been reduced to absolute ruins.

All seemed hopeless. Yugo and Yuri, after calming down from the fight, had collapsed into their friends' arms. That was two days ago; they still hadn't stirred.

Hikari attempted to assist, but they had forced her to take a break; with her wounded shoulder, and having already overexerted herself, she needed rest. She was instead given the task of watching over their two still-unconscious friends.

Nakano helped Natsuki, and vice versa, as they both limped through the ruins of the destroyed half of the city, searching for anyone still trapped. All they found were corpses; burnt, crushed, frozen.... all deaths imaginable seemed to surround them. Some were even duelists who hadn't been able to save themselves from plummeting to the ground when their rooftop vantages collapsed under their feet. Some were severed by shrapnel; a bodiless head stared up at them, the person's face petrified in a scream. They shivered as they continued onward; these people were in fate's hands now. There was nothing they could do.

The two eventually made their way back, and with solemn, unspoken answers, the hundreds of survivors wept endless tears of grief and despair at the sight of their home in such a ruinous state.

The Nobles attempted to reassure everyone that they would rebuild the city, but.... first, the survivors filled the broken streets and gathered the corpses of the fallen. They would be given a proper sendoff.

The ashes of the city had filled the sky, however, so that the sun could not be seen once it passed the line of the horizon, and even then, it was but a sliver of light shining upon the corpses of the defenders who had indeed flung themselves headfirst into martyrdom.

Wails filled the streets, notes of melancholy and grief, as families wept endless tears for lost brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, or children.

People focused efforts on rebuilding, but it seemed as if the job could not be done fast enough. Time slowed to a crawl as hard light monsters assisted humans in lifting huge slabs of stone and huge sheets of metal, assembling huge piles of brick and wood. Plants of all sorts were strewn across the paths, trees snapped at the base and bushes gathered like rosaries around buildings. Leaves swirled around them as rain began to fall, mud squelching and glass crunching under stiff boot and tennis shoes. Soon, rain turned to snow, and blankets could not be passed around fast enough. They winced from the biting cold. Indigenous olive trees had their branches torn from the base, their bark peeled to reveal still-shining cream-coloured inner layers. These branches were gathered and woven into rosaries, yet another tribute for the fallen. Lanterns were lit to mark landmarks in the pitch-black blizzard. Everyone was required to wear some source of light on their person.

People by the seaside gazed warily at the crashing waves, their line of sight illuminated by the quite surprisingly still-standing lighthouse. The air crackled with electricity; a thunderstorm while snowing was unheard of! Weather experts saw a slim chance of survival; the citizens of Spyral saw their now-ascertained demise. They ran for the more inland areas, warning everyone of the building tides. Lightning struck, dispersing in the ground, but still rekindling fires in the piles of wood via the conductive piles of metal. Not even the blizzard could extinguish the raging flames now. All was once again hopeless within the confines of Spyral; the outer wall still stood.


End file.
